Considering columnar conifers

rosefollyMarch 2, 2012

I would like to introduce a few conifers into my garden for design reasons. I am thinking of them as exclamation points. I'm particularly looking for ones that won't get too big too quickly. Dwarf forms that would end up around 8-12 feet at maturity might work well.

I have my garden zoned by water requirements. One area is watered weekly, another is watered every third week, and in the last area, plants are not watered at all once they are established. Ideally I would like cultivars that would do well in all three environments. I don't need them to be the same one.

My soil is a sandy clay on a limestone base. We get an average of 15" of rain a year, none of it in the summer, and with California's typical wide variation. We're going to be lucky to get 4" this year.

The last suggestion is the best one, as already mentioned the others are liable to have issues. True firs, Colorado spruces and Rocky Mountain junipers very often do not maintain an attractive appearance even in Seattle (USDA 8). The first get bugs, the second bugs and algae, and the third gets algae and opens up.

Although some kinds can still be found at local independent garden centers most years, Lawson cypress isn't nearly as prevalent on the market as it appears it used to be. Multiple different forms do remain very common in older parts of the planted landscape. But I don't think I've ever seen the cultivar shown above for sale here. Maybe a conifer specialist has brought it in.

I've seen Monrovia's 'Monshell' Italian cypress offered here a few times. It is expensive, but maybe that would not be a problem in this instance. Photos and description are on their web site.